Thomas brattan



daitml gime aient @dimite DIXSON.

Letters .Patent No, 99,285, dated February l, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAS-METERS.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

as are evel'` required in practice, insures a suiicienty reservoir or fountain to keep the water at this level for a long period, without requiring attention, and Vin case the fountain shall, through long neglect, get low, gives warning of the fact,vby a diminution in the force of -the gas, without the disagreeable flickering or jumping ofthe lights which is commonly observed.

I will tirst proceed to describe what I consider the -best means of carrying out my inventionand will afterward designate the points which I believe to be new.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figure l is 'an end view of the meter, with the face of the iront casing removed, and the interior casing shown in section, to give a view of its arrangement and effect;

Figure 2 is a vertical section through the llingtube and drainage-passage, showing, also, all the parts beyond; and

Figure 3 is a parallel section through the interior casing.

The igures represent the novel parts, with lso much of the. ordinary parts as is necessary to show their relations thereto.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

Tints are employed merely to aid in distinguishing 'parts, and do not imply necessary differences of material.

The material of all the novel parts may be tnned iron and brass or white metal.

A represents the cylindrical case which contains the wet gas-meter wheel. I have not thought it necessary to `represent this old and familiar portion of the apparatus. It may be in the ordinary approved form.

The shaft b, projecting from the end of the case, is turned by the meter-wheel, by the levity of the gas.

The water-line in the interior of the case A is indicated by '1n m. This is the level at which themeterwheel will perform with absolute correctness; vand it is desirable to hold the water exactly at this level, uuder all conditions', for a loner Deliod.

To effect this, I store a considerable quantity of water inthe outside casing A1, and use it as a reservoir from which to supply the mam casing A, as evaporation or other cause shall render necessary: U

The water-line in the exterior. casing A1 1s higher ythan that in the interior or main casing A, and is indicated by n n.y

The water is supplied to the outside casing at long intervals, through the pipe a', which leads down nearly to the bottom of the casing, and elfectually prevents the escape of any air or gas.

A small rectangular casing, A2 A, is-mountedwxthin the casing A1. Its upper halfis divided by a semipartition, extending downward from the top in the centre, as represented. This, in effect, divides this inner casing into two chambers, the left and the right, which are indicated, respectively, by the letters A2 A3.

The right chamber A communicates with the interior casing A, through two holes, a a, one at the top and one at the bot-tom, as represented. Through these holes the water and the gas circulate freely, so that the water in the chamber A3 is always certain tov be exactly on a level with the water in the main casing A.

The chamber A2 communicates freely with the chamber A, at the bottom, but not at the top. It follows that there is a tendency to an equal level of the water in these two chambers, A2 and A3.

- O is a pipe leading from nearthe top of the cham- -ber A2, down int-o a lower chamber,-A, which is in communication with the gas, and insures the presence of the same or very nearly the same pressure in the top of the chamber A2 as in the top of the chamber A. It follows that the gas will flow in or out through the pipe C, and thus insure that the water-'level in the two chambers, A2 and'A, is nearly or exactly level one with the other. Any change of level in the water in the main' casing A will correspondingly change the level in the two chambers, A2 and A3.

D3 is a straight pipe, passing through stuffing-boxes at the bot-tom and top of the casing A3,open at the.y

tom into the lower casing A4. There is a hole, d, in

-its side, the upper edge of which is held at exactly the desired water-level in the casing. The pipe D? is capable of being adj usted up and down through the stuifing-boXes by means of a wire, D, which leads out through the top of the casing A1. It may b e either provided with a stuffing-box, not represented, orlt may be soldered fast and tight, after having been once satisfactorily adjusted, as may be preferred. Immediately below the hole d, in the side of the pipe D, the interior of the pipev is plugged or stopped by a metallic partit-ion. Consequently, there can be no passage of water downward, but only of Vgas upward from the casing A3. But there is a branch-pipe leadoverflow into the branch-pipe D2, and be dischargedl downward, while,A if the water in the main lcase A gets too low, the upper edge of the hole or opening-d will be exposed above the water-line, and a small quantity of gas will enter the pipe D3, and rising freely and flowing out at its top, will add to the quantity of the gas in the top of the fountain or casing A, and will consequentlyv allow alcorresponding quantity ot' water to flow out from this fountain-casing Al into the main Y casing A. I have not found it necessary to provide any special orifice for this flow, there being always suicient space around the main shaft b.

In adjusting a new meter, I raise or lower lthe wi re D and its connections, until the level is attained at which the meter will register' exactly as desired.

The gas, after passing the meter, descends into the lower casing A, where it can drop any water 4or the like with which it may be accidentally charged, and rises, through the pipe E, into the double chamber E1 E2, from the uppermost of which it rises, through the pipe E, to be distributed through the house.

The chambers El E2 communicate through a single orifice, controlled by a tight-fitting puppet-valve, G.

This valve is operated by a wire or rod, g, which extends down through the open pipe AH, soldered to the lower side of the chamber El, and connects to the lever I, which turns on the centre t, and carries a suitable oat, J.

Now, when, by therepeated additions of small quantities of gas to the fountain-casing All, the water has been gradually lowered therein, to maintain the level in the main casing, until'it ha's become nearly of the same level, so that there is danger ofthe fountain .failing to deliver water promptly, the oat J sinks so low as to commence to close the valve G. By means of the powerful leverage obtained, a float of moderate size may control this valve with great firmness, so as to be little affected by the force ofthe gas. Whether the force be' great or small, it will hold the valve very nearly closed, and this condition will soon make itself` 'manifest by the diminished force of t-he gas in the house. This will be a signal that the fountain-casing Ax should be refilled by pouring water into the pipe a'.

Having .now fully described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is Y 1.A The fountain-casing A, connected t the casing A, as represented, and arranged to supply water thereto, as required, to maintain an invariable level therein, so long as the water in the fountain is above that level, and also to enclose the mechanism conveying the motion to the registering-wheels, the oat and valve, and the regulating-case A2 A, and its connections, all substantially as herein set forth.

2. The inner casing A2 A3, the duplex tube or passage D2 D3, the part D2 being open to receive water, and the part Da being open to receive gas, as indicated at d, combined and arranged asl represented, relatively to the fountain-casing A1 and the main casing A of a gas-meter, for the purposes herein set forth.

3. Adj nsting the tubeY D`L D3 up and down through stuiing-boxes, as represented, by means of the wire D or au equivalent connection, leading to the outside of the apparatus, substantially as herein set forth and described.

4. Thelever I and oat J, in combination with the valve G and connection g, and with a fountain-reservoir, A1J for a gas-meter, as and for the purposes herein set forth.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my name, in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS BRATTAN.

Nitnessesz WLLLIAM LOWE, J AMES HALLADAY. 

